


Hey Jude

by sksdwrld



Series: Asterisk [12]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Randomness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-22
Updated: 2015-02-22
Packaged: 2018-01-13 09:25:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1221115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sksdwrld/pseuds/sksdwrld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is just a random collection of drabbles and works associated with the character Jude in my Asterisk series. He's a supporting character, but he's noisy and wants his own stories told.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Through His Stomach

There was a small cafe in one of the buildings that Jude liked to short-cut through between classes and even though they served their coffee in caraffes trucked over from the main dining hall and by late afternoon it was usually cold, bitter and disgusting, it was the week before finals and he was too lazy to walk all the way over there just for a hot cup. 

It was going to be his third one today and when he got back in line, the girl behind the counter with the short, spikey black hair laughed at him. "You want me to hook up an IV?"

Jude knuckled his eyes and laughed softly. "Would you?"

"Large regular?" She guessed, holding up a cup.

"Extra sugar," Jude replied as the caraffe she was pumping from spluttered out the last dregs. It was going to be vile, he could already tell, but the model he was working on for his final project needed a lot of finishing touches. He'd been putting in a lot of extra hours at the restaurant and had fallen farther behind than he thought.

"Take this too," she said, plunking one of the over-sized M&M cookies on top of his cup.

"Nah," Jude started to protest as he pulled his wallet out of his pocket.

"It's from yesterday, I gotta throw it out at the end of the shift if no one takes it anyway," The girl said as she twirled a chunky ring over her finger.

"Okay, thanks, uh..." Jude said, passing over a couple of bills and squinting at her name tag. "A? Your name is A?"

She smiled and tipped it up, then shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Ask me again tomorrow."

Jude rolled his eyes and tossed the change she offered him into the sad-looking tip jar taped to the side of her register. "What makes you think I'll be back tomorrow?"

A gestured toward the basket of cookies and smiled. "All these were fresh today and I hate to throw out food..."

He snorted, raised his day-old cookie to her in cheers and walked away. Odd-duck, that one...


	2. Over His Head

Jude pocketed his change and reached for the coffee and cookies that Andrea had placed on the counter for him.

"I guess this is goodbye," he said with a sheepish smile. "I'm turning in my final project today, and unless I've royally fucked it up, I'll be graduating."

"You're not going to fail," Andrea rolled her eyes. "I've seen the model and it's amazing."

"When did you see it?" Jude demanded in surprise.

"C'mere," Andrea beckoned to Jude, pulling him behind the counter when he hesitated. She pointed and Jude followed her finger with his eyes. Kitty-corner and through two sets of windows with the courtyard in the middle, Jude could see his red backpack on a chair and on the table, his model house.

Jude squinted. "Whadd'you got, x-ray vision or something?"

"Or something. I saw it this morning when I got in, you must have been in the bathroom or something. But you've been here all day, tinkering."

"I wanna get a good grade,"Jude admitted. "Prove that Elliot isn't the only one with a brain."

"Elliot?"

"Oh," Jude replied sheepishly and slipped back around the counter. "Uh, my cousin. He's a fucking genius or something."

Andrea hummed softly. "Bet he doesn't have nice hands though."

Jude paused with his coffee half-way to his mouth. "Uh...what?"

"Nothing. Look, some friends of mine are going out to celebrate after graduation. You should come, if you're not busy..."

"I might be busy," Jude said, pulling his phone out of his pocket to check the time. "I work a lot. And I gotta get going. Sorry, this was sort of a farewell-sludge. No offense, but this shit is the worst excuse for coffee I've ever had."

"Wouldn't catch me drinking it." She laughed then reached under the counter and flashed him a cup from Starbucks. "Anyway, I guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah," Jude said. "Good luck with the rest of your program!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The words he'll never say...

Jude was two years old when Eli disappeared, and by all rights, he shouldn't have remembered the way the sun flaunted on hair that Rumplestiltskin would have envied, or his wide, bright smile. He shouldn't have remembered the way his grandmother sobbed or the terrified look on his father's face. He shouldn't have looked up into Jesus's tortured face as he hung there on the cross and thought that there was nothing that sad, bleeding man could do to bring his cousin back again.

When Jude was seven, he stood in his white satin suit, eyeballing the priest and thinking that there was no way in hell that tiny piece of Styrofoam had turned into Jesus's body and that the wine wasn't anything like blood at all.

By the time Jude was twelve, he knew that Mary was no frigging virgin and that Joseph was either a gullible Fucker who was suckered into raising someone else's kid or he was a goddamn genius who tricked Mary into sleeping with him before he married her.

On Eli's sixteenth birthday, Jude knew that he was never coming back. He lit a candle on the altar and spent the rest of the afternoon throwing rocks at cars that Eli would never drive because he was dead and gone, and Jesus had done nothing to bring him back.

At seventeen, Jude stood up in front of the congregation and told them that he believed in God, in the teachings of the church, and in the savior, Jesus Christ. Then he went home and got stoned in celebration of having lied through his teeth in church and not being struck dead by God himself.

Three months later, the detective called to say they'd found Eli and they were going to bring him home. While his grandmother was praising all that was holy, Jude was cursing the God he'd never had faith in. Every Sunday for the last fifteen years, Jude had sat on an unforgiving pew, and he had never told anyone that he didn't believe, and he never would.


	4. Good Morning Maddie

Jude wrinkled his nose at the hair that was tickling it but instead of batting it away, he tipped his face forward, breathing in the sweet, musky, earthy scent he'd come to know as Maddie. He was already nuzzling into the crook of her neck when his brain registered that. Oh shit, _Maddie_. That happened, that totally happened, and he wasn't even sure how or why or which Gods to thank.

"Jude," she breathed out as she stirred and it was like heaven to his ears. Grinning, he curled his arm a little tighter around her middle and rolled his his hips, not lasciviously, but to nestle their spoon a little tighter. He had to savor this while it lasted because, while it had been building between them for weeks, maybe it was just a one time thing. He still didn't know how to read Maddie, and that wasn't good or bad, it just was. Still though, he had to play cool and not like a giddy idiot who had landed his long time crush.

The important thing was, she wasn't kicking him out. The unfortunate thing was, Jude didn't really have experience in this department. Either he'd been in a relationship with a girl however short or long lived it was, or it had been a mutual one and done sort of thing. This was new territory though, skyrocketing from friends to _??? _, shit, fuck if he knew. Friends with bennies? Friends with an awesome night that had to be awkwardly buried and forgotten if things were to go on? Not friends? No, no. Not that last one, because the way she'd just said his name was not at all reproachful like he was an annoying gnat but more like a simple acknowledgement of his presence. Or maybe something more. Damn it, he was bad at this.__

__And she smelled so good. Damn. Jude slid one hand up over her ribcage to cup her breast, pinching the nipple, and at the same time, pressed a kiss to her shoulder. Shifting, Maddie flung her hand back, slapping at his thigh with her knuckles so he started to lift his hand away and inch back, putting distance between them so her could get up without crushing her. But Maddie caught his hand and pulled it back to her breast and pushed her ass back into the cradle of his legs. "Sleeping," she murmured meaningfully, so Jude settled back down although he was too aware of their proximity to do more than doze lightly._ _

__Finally, after laying awake and staring at her shoulder, having willed his fingers not to twitch and grope for just about as long as he could, he pulled away again. Maddie sucked in a breath and stiffened as she stretched her feet downward. "You have coffee?" Jude asked._ _

__"Are you kidding? I had the coffee pot before I had the mattress."_ _

__"Want me to make some?"_ _

__"Mmmm, yeah."_ _

__Jude climbed off the mattress and spent a minute turning his jeans inside right before pulling them on and shuffling over to the kitchenette. After putzing around finding everything he needed, he got the pot going and then let himself into the bathroom._ _

__Heaving a sigh, he started down at himself. Of course today would be the day that he had raging morning wood that didn't subside on getting up and that wouldn't cooperate with any amount of bargaining or threats and of course today would be the day that he couldn't do anything other than wrestle it into position and hope he didn't piss all over her bathroom floor. Except then he did and he spent so long cleaning it up with little wads of toilet paper that she probably thought he was dropping a deuce. Or jerking it._ _

__"Fuck, fuck, fuck," he muttered, hurrying to wash up. _Way to make an impression, Jude._ Spilling out the door, he hurried over to where Maddie was shaking two packets of sugar into her coffee. He pulled open the refrigerator door and peered inside. "You have milk in here?"_ _

__"Nope, just beer," Maddie grinned. "I steal a handful of sugar from the cafeteria at school every day just to get me through. Haven't been grocery shopping yet."_ _

__"Oh," Jude sighed and stole about six sugars, then began emptying them into the cup Maddie passed him one at a time. "Your mom and Dad know about your nasty little habit?"_ _

__"They'd probably support it, knowing how much tuition costs." Maddie blew across her coffee and sipped it as she slid the the spoon across to Jude. "Your mom and Dad know you ruin good coffee with milk?"_ _

__"Hey!" Jude protested. "Regular coffee is the state beverage of Massachusetts. Or it's the most popular Dunkin' order. Or something. I read it."_ _

__"Just because it's popular doesn't make it right," She winked at him._ _

__"Does everything have to be political with you?" He stuck his tongue out to keep things light although sometimes, he did wonder._ _

__"Maybe," she made a face at him and tapped his nose as she passed by on her way to sit on the mattress and lke a puppy dog, he followed after her._ _

__"Maddie," Jude said after the silence stretching between them began to make him uncomfortable. He looked at her sitting there, the peaks of her nipples visible through the fabric of her top. His own shirt was still on the floor where it had been discarded and he wondered if he should make the effort to put it on or if it would just be weird now._ _

__She looked at him appraisingly over the top of her coffee mug. "Mmm?"_ _

__He wiped his mouth and let his own cup dangle between his knees. "Madde," he tried again. "What was last night?"_ _

__Maddie rolled her shoulders and looked at her mug. "I don't know, Jude. What was it to you?"_ _

__"I dunno." Jude was quiet a moment, then he sighed. Might as well just throw it out there. "Look, I really like you..."_ _

__"But?" Maddie prompted._ _

__"What? No 'but'. That's it, I really like you. I have since forever." Jude hazarded a sideways glance and there was an unreadable look on her face. It was too late now if he'd screwed things up so he had to try and fix it. "I take it back. There is a 'but'. _But_ you're awesome and if it didn't mean anything to you, I don't want it to ruin our friendship. I like watching you bust asses in the rink and I like hanging out with you in dyke bars and I like that you're different from everybody else and I wanna keep doing cool shit with you--"_ _

__"Jude," she said, but he was on a roll._ _

__"Like, we have to go to Fenway and I bet you'd be really fun at--"_ _

__"Jude..."_ _

__"--a Bruins game and we still haven't determined whether or not you can drink me under the table and--"_ _

__"Jude!" She kind of yelled it and he stopped then, looking at her again._ _

__He thought maybe she was gonna kick him out now, but after a second, she just leaned over and kissed him and he was so surprised that he jerked, spilling hot coffee on his toes. "Ah, shit!"_ _

__"You're kind of an idiot," she said fondly, biting her lip as he put the cup down and mopped the mess up with one of his nearby socks. "But I think I kind of like it too."_ _

__"Ha, really?"_ _

__"Yeah, really."_ _

__"You always made it out like I didn't have a chance," Jude smiled. "Jerk."_ _

__"Yeah, well..." she hid behind her coffee cup again. "You're more of a grown up than I gave you credit for--"_ _

__"Booyah!" Jude interjected, making duck lips as he raised the roof._ _

__Maddie smacked him with her pillow and went right back to her coffee without spilling a drop. "Capital D dork. And I didn't say you were mature. I said you were a grown up. Like, you admit when you're wrong and you're willing to let your eyes be opened to life outside of the box you grew up in. That's important. Because frankly, you need a lot of work..." the glint in her eye said she was teasing._ _

__"So I'm a bit of a fixer-upper, that's a minor thing..." he shrugged and smiled._ _

__Her eyes widened and she laughed. "Yeahhhh, never seen 'Frozen' huh?"_ _

__"I never said I didn't see it, I said I didn't want to. You forget I have a kid sister...she plays the soundtrack in the shower every day."_ _

__"So you know every word to 'Let it Go' then?"_ _

__"Probably. I much prefer, 'Reindeers are Better Than People' though."_ _

__"I totally see it," Maddie grinned. "So, the question is: are you Cristof or Sven?"_ _

__"Like you even need to ask?"_ _

__"Just wondering how accurate your self perception is," she stuck out her tongue._ _

__"No you're not," Jude laughed and crowded against her until she put her coffee down and folded to the mattress, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You're trying to decide if you're Olaf or Anna..."_ _

__"Well?" Maddie prompted a bit breathlessly._ _

__Chuckling again, he began kissing her neck. "The obvious answer is Anna..."_ _

__"Oh, is it now?"_ _

__"Yup. Too bad you're Olaf."_ _

__Maddie laughed and needled him in the side. "You better watch out for my carrot!"_ _

__"Hey now ," Jude said, rolling his hips against hers. "That's my line."_ _


	5. Welcome Home Elliot

Elliot paid the cab driver and climbed out into the deluge, relieved to see Jude's truck in the driveway. It meant that his cousin hadn't left yet and there would be no hard feelings over Elliot's decision to catch an earlier flight or the fact that Elliot's phone was dead and the charger nowhere to be found. Hefting his bag over one shoulder, Elliot next ascended the open stairwell that led to the second floor apartment he was meant to share with Jude. The door was unlocked so he let himself in following a soft knock.

He'd barely stepped over the threshold when his ears were assaulted with the sounds of sex. Vigorous, mind blowing sex judging from the banging headboard and enthusiastic cries eminating from the hallway. It wasn't anything he wasn't used to by now between Jammer and Merin or the friends of theirs that he'd stayed with the past few months, but a pair of headphones had gone a long way to minimizing the discomfort he felt in the midst of such a private moment. Glancing over his shoulder at the rain, Elliot sighed and shut the door behind him, then bent to remove his shoes, trying to think about anything other than what was going on to the tune of _Jude, Jude, Jude!_.

Luckily, it seemed that he'd arrived as things were reaching their peak. The woman's cry was followed by a brief staccato burst of wood on plaster and Jude's muffled groans. All the while, Elliot familiarized himself with the patterns of the linoleum in the kitchen in which he stood.

In the minutes following, there was the hush of murmured conversation and Elliot was trying to decide whether or not to announce himself when he heard Jude's lady friend announce, "No, No. I'll get it. Just put your pants on so we can get Elliot from the airpor--Oh my God, Elliot!"

Startling at the exclamation, he turned but caught only fleeting dark tresses. Then came Jude's chuckle. "Calm down, Mads. We've got plenty of time to get to Logan..."

"No, Jude, Elliot is standing in the kitchen."

"What?"

Face starting to color, Elliot cleared his throat. "Hey, um, Jude. Saved you a trip..."

"Oh Jesus..." Jude came into the kitchen, shirtless and still buttoning his jeans. "Coulda warned a guy." Nevertheless, there was an easy grin on his face as he moved to hug Elliot, who shied backwards making a face. "Oh, right, sorry." Jude smelled his fingers on the way to the sink and Elliot sighed.

"I just wanted to get home. My cell died. I didn't realize I'd be interrupting something...I would have waited outside but it's pouring."

"It's fine," Jude dried his hands on his jeans and approached again for a hug. "Maddie's just upset because you saw her naked."

"I didn't," Elliot protested but after a beat, said, "Wait, Maddie? _Maddie_ -Maddie?" That explained how she knew who he was.

"Hi Elliot." She edged back into the room, practically swimming in Jude's high school lacrosse hoodie and wearing a sheepish smile to match Jude's proud grin.

"I...wow," Elliot shook his head. "Just wow. I didn't see that coming..."

"Neither did we, really." Maddie kissed Elliot's cheek and ruffled his hair. "You going to put your bag down or have we scared you away already?"

"Oh please," Elliot scoffed, lowering his backpack to the floor beside his duffle. "At the risk of inciting some terrible competition, what I overheard was really minimal compared to Jammer and Merin. Not that I'm in the habit of listening, mind, only that, you know, sometimes it can't be helped. Anyway, turnabout is fair play, right?"

"Oh God," Jude made a face as Maddie laughed.

Elliot smirked triumphantly. "Speaking of which, are you going to show me to my room? I want to make sure my affairs are in order before I head out to the bar."


	6. just an archive- not happening

Jude's phone beeped and he knew without even looking at the screen that it was Maddie. He picked it up at the next stop light and swiped his thumb, fully expecting to see, _Thanks for your time, but no._ It wouldn't be the first time she'd turned down one of his proposals. Shit, this one wouldn't even hurt. But her text wasn't business related. She was inviting him to a match. Instantly, something in his chest twisted and his stomach flipped. Why was she doing this? To rub it in his face how successful she was? Except Jude knew that wasn't it. Not only was Maddie so not like that, he'd seen the look in her eyes when she walked into the room, and despite it, then unsurprisingly managed to keep things professional. She'd looked good, damn good, and he'd forgotten how easy being around her was. How fun.

He stared at the screen for so long that the car behind him had to lay on the horn when the light turned green. Fuck. Tossing his phone onto the seat beside him, Jude stepped on the gas but before he even made it to the on ramp to Route 1, he knew that his plans for the night had just been drastically revised.

After showering, Jude dragged on a pair of good jeans, ones that weren't marred by roofing tar or sporting holes in the knees or ass. He had a green shirt that wasn't too faded and a navy blue Red Sox cap that would hide his unruly curls. Halfway there, he realized that he'd put his old boots on out of habit but he shrugged it off, telling himself that he wasn't trying to impress her. Why should he? He hadn't been good enough for her five years ago and he wasn't any different now than he was back then, except older, a little thicker, and a lot more jaded.

When he got there, he sat in the middle and tried to look casual but his right knee wouldn't stop jangling. What was her motive, he wondered, and why had he been so quick to agree when things had ended so hourly between them? He knew she blamed him. Everyone did. Because logic dictated that there was no reason they couldn't have kept dating after she turned him down. He could have waited and tried again. But what was the point when she saw a future without him and the potential of it was a better prospect than the one with him? And there she was, the hotshot owner and CEO of Whiplash Studios. So maybe she'd been right all along.

Watching Maddie Mayhem in the rink was as enthralling as it ever had been; a combination of grace and daring and cheek that left him alternately gasping and laughing and shaking his head. It was a miracle she was still going strong with the regular takedowns she was subject to. After the match was over, Jude hung around, waiting for the group of fans to fade. Maddie's eyes kept darting to him but he found himself looking away, only to turn back and meet her gaze again.

"Nice jam," he said when he was finally able to get close enough.

Maddie smiled. "Thanks... I wasn't sure you'd come."

"It's been awhile," Jude scraped the floor with the scuffed toe of his work boot.

"Yeah..." Reaching out, she squeezed his arm. "It was good to see you earlier...it's good to see you now."

"Yeah, you too..." Jude agreed, suddenly finding it hard to look her in the eye. He bit his lip.

"Did you..." Maddie licked her lips and shifted her bag on her shoulder. Part of him wanted to take it from her. It would be so easy to. But she didn't need him to, so he left it. "Did you want to grab a beer?"

"With you and the girls?"

"Yeah..." she smiled and it looked like a mix between hesitant and hopeful.

Jude forced a smile onto his face and shook his head. He couldn't just fall back into it that easily, even if he wanted to. "No," he said. "But maybe just me and you sometime. You have my number."

As Jude stepped back, Maddie frowned and reached for him. "Jude, wait."

Against his better judgment, he moved forward again, and brushing a lank strand of hair away from her face, pressed an impulsive, lingering kiss on the corner of her mouth. "Call me," he emphasized, briefly locking their eyes together before breaking away. In a hurry, he shrugged into his Carhart and made his way out to his truck, popping the glove box when he got there and taking out the pack of cigarettes that he kept for when he went drinking. After cracking the window, he lit one and blew the smoke out into the night sky. Shit.


	7. I'm sorry Jude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings: abortion

"Jude..." Maddie sighed but tried to keep it together. This was easily the hardest thing she'd ever done. "Sit down."

His grin faded as he obediently dropped into the seat. "Maddie? What's the matter?"

What was the matter? The matter was that despite a strict devotion to her birth control regime, she'd somehow managed to get pregnant. She'd known as soon as her period was late, but held out, telling herself that the tenderness in her breasts meant that it was right around the corner, any day now. But the denial only lasted a week before she bought the test, refusing to think about the possibilities until the outcome was certain. And as sure as there were two little blue lines, Maddie knew she couldn't do this. Not raise a baby, not grow a baby in her womb only to give it away. Not now.

The decision almost seemed blasphemous in the face of what her parents had gone through just to have her, but she. Couldn't. Do. This. And because of that, she couldn't go to them for support either.

Maddie reached over and took his hand but she couldn't look him in the eye. "Jude, I...I'm pregnant."

"Shit." That she had expected, but what came next? Definitely not. "Really?" She could hear the smile in his voice without even looking at him and it was soul crushing.

"Oh baby no, don't do that to me, I need us to be on the same page..." Maddie blinked back tears. "I can't...I'm not going to...I made an appointment. At the clinic. To put a stop to things."

"What?" Jude was on his feet in seconds and somehow, Maddie hadn't seen this coming. "No, no! It's fine, everything's going to be fine! We can do this. We can get married--"

"Jude, no..."

"Or not married, that's fine. I'll grab a night job. I can do custom carpentry work on the side. I can make the money, Maddie, we can do this."

The tears spilled over. "I don't want to do it Jude. I Don want you to kill yourself trying to support a family that I'm not ready to have yet. You're interning with your grandfather. I'm still in school. I don't want to compromise our futures because of a fluke." She started to crumble, insisting that she'd never missed a single pill and how could this happen, and God she was sorry but--

"Don't you see?" Jude knelt and took her hand again, brushing the wet hair back from her face. "Maddie, Maddie...some things are meant to be, baby. Look, this was supposed to happen, God wanted us to--"

"Oh my G--no. Just no. I am not the virgin Mary, Jude. God doesn't just go around knocking women up. This is not a miracle, it's a mistake."

"Okay, okay..." At least he knew when not to fight with her on that stance. Too bad he tried another angle. "So you don't want the baby. I'll take him. It's not ideal but I know my parents could help and Cookie too..."

Maddie shook her head. "No. I'm sorry, no. I'm not doing this, I'm not carrying to term. I'm not ready for any part of this baby making business, Jude. I already made up my mind, please stop making this so difficult for me!"

"Am I the father?" Jude suddenly demanded.

"Yes, God yes. I wouldn't do that to you."

"So cheating's out but murder is okay?"

"Damn it Jude!" Maddie pushed him but he only sat back on his heels. "It's not murder, it's not a fucking person. It's a ball of cells with potential and that is fucking it."

"It's half _me_ Maddie, don't I get a say?"

"No, you don't, because it's my body, Jude, and I'm sorry about that but it's just how it is."

"Why did you even tell me then? Why didn't you just do it? If I don't get to weigh in...why wouldn't you let me have the peace of mind? I can't...I don't understand!" He gripped the sofa on either side of her thighs and tears of his own slipped from the corners of his eyes.

"It's selfish, but I wanted you to be there with me, I thought you could be there for me, when I go. I can't tell my parents, Jude, and I just want you to hold my hand." She wiped his face with the sleeve of her hoodie and he crumpled, laying his head in her lap. He said something to juncture of her thighs that sounded like, "You're killing our baby," and for all that she knew about Jude's family, he'd never worn his Catholicism as more than anything but a badge. She was pretty sure he'd told her once that he didn't even believe in God. But faith was funny like that, cropping up at inopportune times. She pet his head to comfort him and didn't dare let herself think about a little girl with chocolate curls.

Finally he sat back and wiped his face. "If you do this, were done. And...and I'm not saying that to threaten you. I'm just saying how it's got to be. I can't look at you knowing...Maddie, please."

"That's fair." She swallowed and accepted it, even though it wasn't, not really. "I love you Jude, and I'm sorry."


End file.
